IND vs BAN: Aakash Chopra picks India's top 3 emerging cricketers, includes Rishabh Pant

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra named the three emerging players in Indian cricket. The cricketer-turned-commentator went on to pick Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and the wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, also explaining the reasons behind his choices.

Shubman Gill has been touted as the prince of Indian cricket. The amount of things that he has achieved in his short career so far has been exceptional. The young batter also has become the vice-captain of the Indian team in white-ball cricket as well.

Shubman Gill is seen as the potential replacement for Virat Kohli. Although he's so far away from that level he has shown a lot of promise. The young batter has already done some fantastic things in his career, and with the kind of talent that he has, he seems to be the next big thing in Indian cricket.

Aakash Chopra, while explaining why he picked Shubman Gill, mentioned that the batter is a future superstar. He admitted that the batter hasn't been doing well in T20s, but he highlighted the example of current skipper Rohit Sharma, who wasn't named in the 2011 World Cup squad but became a great player. Speaking to Raj Shamani, he explained:

"There are three such players. There is Shubman Gill. He has that, I mean that future superstar thing. He is doing it. You shouldn't have taken him in T20s (World Cup). The team that was picked was fine. It's okay. Which is fine. See, this is our problem. Sometimes, we tend to get too obsessed with that. Now he is a player. So, he should play in all three formats. There is no legitimate rule that he should play. He may make it.

"IPL, he does it very well. He made 900 runs in a year. Had a great season with Gujarat. So, I mean he is very young. He will figure it out. But if he doesn't go, it's okay. Rohit Sharma didn't play in the 2011 World Cup. It's fine. But now India's most successful captain. So that is path of course. Don't worry. So, one is Shubman." said Aakash Chopra.

Aakash Chopra further touted the ability to understand the pulse of the game as Shubman Gill's biggest quality. He correlated the young batter with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, saying that the young batter understands when and how to change his role. He added:

"The biggest quality of Shubman is that he understands the pulse of the game. Understanding the pulse of the game. You play for a long time and you don't understand. Some players are very quick to understand.

"Some understand eventually. Some never understand. So, the grades you see, they understand very quickly. So, Virat Kohli understood the pulse of the game very quickly. Mahendra Singh Dhoni understood the pulse of batting in one day very quickly." said Aakash Chopra.

"Shubman Gill understood the pulse of the game. He understands 100% where the game is going. Where can I go? Where can I take it? How can it run according to me? He is absolutely brilliant. He is top-class about himself. He understands. He does."

While talking about Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aakash Chopra mentioned the journey of the young batter and touted him as a hard-working cricketer. The cricketer-turned-commentator believes the batter has a game for all three formats, and even if he feels something is missing, he has a passion for completing that. He elaborated:

"The second boy I like a lot is Yashasvi Jaiswal. I think he has a lot. His story is also very good actually. And his head is in the right place. I mean, firmly on his shoulders. He is very hardworking. And he has a lot of strength. He is the second one. Yashasvi is very exciting. Yashasvi has come with so much dedication. The way he has played cricket. The way he has reached there. There is that thing in him.

"He has that game for three formats. If we want to again be obsessed with that fact. He has that game for three formats. That he can do this, he can do that. And if something is missing, he has the passion to complete it. So, that kind of absolute mad passion. It is visible. He has got that temperament as well."Aakash Chopra said.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has found a regular place in the Indian team in Tests and T20Is. The batter has performed exceptionally well for the team in both formats. In his short career so far, he hardly has put a foot wrong for his team, scoring runs consistently for the side.

Aakash Chopra was in massive awe of Rishabh Pant

Aakash Chopra was in awe of Rishabh Pant, who, according to him, has an extra element. He feels that the keeper-batter has unique batting skills, and his self-belief, along with that, makes him a special player.

Aakash Chopra mentioned that when he first saw Rishabh Pant, he seemed to be a combination of Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh. The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the keeper-batter proved himself in Test cricket and that too in overseas conditions. While lauding Pant, he explained:

"The third one is Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant also has something. He has extra element. Rishabh Pant has some unique skills. He has got some unique batting skills. And batting skills combined with the self-belief that he has.

"That I can do this work that other people can't even dare to do. He has that. When I saw Rishabh for the first time, I said it was a combination of Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh. His style of playing is that combination.

"It is a phenomenal combination to have in white-ball cricket. But his specialty came out in Test cricket. When he played in England, when he played in Australia when he played in South Africa. I mean that was something sensational." said Aakash Chopra.

"To turn the game around in a T20 game and an ODI game, It is doable. We have seen it many times, one innings, one player, one spell, change the game. To change the game in Test cricket, you have to play one session.

"To play one session and go till end, he has done that on multiple occasions outside India. So, tough destinations. That separates him from the rest. I am telling you Indian cricket will keep throwing names. You will go, wow, this guy is also very tough. Someone new," Aakash Chopra concluded.